English 242C – Afro Asia and US Multiculturalism (Reading Prose Fiction)
Winter 2016 Mon-Thu 12:30 – 1:20pm, Loew 113 Alan Williams Email:
[email protected] Office: Mon/Wed 11:15am – 12:15pm, Padelford B5N
Course Description When Mao Zedong wrote in support of the US Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, he highlighted how ongoing racial discrimination is a product of "dual tactics" and "a colonialist and imperialist system." Given that the US state was founded on racism (slavery and genocide), scholars today note how civil rights legislation and the rise of US multiculturalism were not the beginning of the end of this system, but rather the imperial state's adjustment to antiracist and anti-colonial struggles not only in the US but abroad (communism in China, Korea, Vietnam, independence movements in India, pan-Africa, and so on). A central aim of this course will be to think through the rise of US multiculturalism as an extension of the imperial project. In other words, as a class we will aim to rid ourselves of the nationalist "racial progress" narrative. The first half of the course will focus on Asian Americanist critique and storytelling to grapple with the rise and permutations of the orientalist "peril/model" binary for both US Asian racialization and US empire in Asia. We will use the medium of fiction and the skill of close-reading to develop informed social and historical analysis, which in turn will enhance our reading of both fiction and the world around us. In the second half of the course, we will read two important texts by black internationalists, W.E.B. Du Bois' 1928 novel Dark Princess: A Romance and Richard Wright's The Color Curtain, a creative nonfictional account of the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia, a pivotal meeting of African and Asian nations in the midst of the Cold War. These texts allow us to explore themes such as the relationship between idealism and realism, and "the color line within the color line" (as Du Bois puts it) in both fictional and nonfictional efforts toward global moral progress. Both Du Bois and Wright ponder the US racial order on the global scale, are cautiously hopeful for alternatives, yet their texts remain hauntingly relevant today as Black Lives Matter critiques the US police state, as Japan re-militarizes after 70 years of pacifism, and as China invests heavily into developing Africa. (This course carries the “W” credit.) Materials Du Bois, W.E.B. 1928. Dark Princess: A Romance (ISBN-13: 978-0199387434) Wright, Richard. 1956. The Color Curtain: A Report of the Bandung Conference. (In the collection: "Black Power: Three Books from Exile" - ISBN-13: 978-0061449451) All other required texts (essays, stories) made available electronically through Canvas.
Assessment 55% – TWO 5-page major papers, one revised and resubmitted as a final paper 20% – FIVE 2-page response papers 10% – ONE discussion leading 15% – Participation Major papers: Paper #1 – 20%
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Paper #2 – 20%
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Final paper – 15%
You’ll need to complete TWO 5-page papers, one of which will be revised and resubmitted as a final paper at the end of the quarter. Your paper topics are chosen by you, but each paper needs to have a central argument (expressed in paragraph one or two) with sub-claims that critically engages the course texts and themes. The papers should include close-readings of fiction for social analysis. You are encouraged to use outside sources, which means complementing class readings with your own investigation as you read, as opposed to cramming in research in the days before a major paper is due. The response papers are a great place to begin formulating your ideas for major papers. You may also communicate your ideas to me via email or during office hours, if you’d like. The final paper should address the comments I provide for either Paper #1 or #2.
Major papers are submitted to Canvas on the due dates listed on the calendar. Graded on a 4.0 scale. Late submission without a preapproved extension will result in 0.2 loss for each day late.
Response papers In FIVE 2-page response papers, provide close-readings, make observations, and connections. Like the major papers, what you write about in these papers is up to you (except for #4, which is prompted). I will look for the use and understanding of critical terms, as well as whether you did the reading and are informed by class discussion. The response papers are intended to boost class discussion and help you learn through writing. As mentioned above, the response papers can also be a place to develop your major paper ideas.
Response papers are submitted in class in print on due dates listed on the calendar. They receive either a “+” (100% credit), “” (90% credit) or a “-” (75% credit). Late submission (max: one class day late) receives an automatic “-.”
Paper formatting
1-inch margins (check this please, because default is often 1.25 inches) 12-point font Double-spaced; no extra space between paragraphs; use Tab to begin paragraphs Major papers should include a title. For response papers, a title is optional. Major papers have an absolute minimum of 5 full pages, and a max of 6. Response papers have an absolute minimum of 2 pages, and a max of 2.5. Proper citations (MLA style): For the response papers, include in-text citations. A Works Cited is necessary for the response papers only if you include outside sources. For the major papers, include both in-text citations and a Works Cited. Note that a Works Cited is in addition to the above required page lengths. (Non-English sources are permitted.)
Failure to follow these guidelines will result in a 0.4 grade loss for major papers and an automatic “ -” for response papers.
Discussion leading With a partner, lead discussion during ONE day of class. By 5pm on the day before you discuss, post to Canvas 3 discussion questions. These questions may address confusing, controversial or surprising moments in the texts. They may also create links between texts. You are welcome to do background research to develop your questions, but be prepared to clarify your questions and/or provide the necessary scaffolding to engage your classmates (through small group discussions, etc). Your classmates (and myself!) are expected to check Canvas to prepare. If you and your partner want to use a Powerpoint, please email it to me by 8am on the day you lead discussion. Participation and Attendance You will also be required three times to respond on Canvas to the three questions posed by the discussion leaders (your posts due by 8am), and then to present at least one of your responses briefly during class discussion. I will assign these days by the end of Week 1. The point of this exercise is to get the discussion rolling, but also to ensure that everyone speaks at least somewhat. Remaining participation includes class-wide Canvas posts, as well as major paper workshops and peer review sessions, and attendance. Attendance is essential for shared learning, peer review, presentation, and because of the information provided in class. I will pass around an attendance sheet daily; too many absences can affect your participation grade, not to mention will be evident in your writing. Tech Policy For notetaking, and because readings are provided electronically, laptops/tablets are encouraged. Smartphones, however, are not. Please do not engage with readings squished onto your phone screen! Additional Writing Assistance Odegaard Writing & Research Center (OWRC) Website: http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/ CLUE Writing Center Website: http://depts.washington.edu/aspuw/develop/writing-center/ Academic Integrity Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else’s ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing – as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this class will be immediately reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review. Accommodations If you need accommodation of any sort, please let me know so that I can work with the UW Disability Resources for Students Office (DRS) to provide what you require. This syllabus is available in large print, as are other class materials. More information about accommodation may be found at http://www.washington.edu/students/drs/.
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Calendar (tentative) Possible discussion leading days are marked with an asterisk (*). Please email me by Wed, 1/6, your partner’s name and your top three choices that you would like to present.
Week 1 1/4 1/5 1/6 1/7
Week 2 *1/11 *1/12 *1/13 *1/14 Week 3 1/18 *1/19 *1/20 *1/21 Week 4
Syllabus Mao Zedong, statements on race/US colonialism (1963, 1968); Andrea Smith, “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy” (2007) Cornel West, “Malcolm X and Black Rage” (1992) Arthur P. Davis, “Integration and Race Literature” (1956); [Canvas post for 1% participation due before class: research and write two paragraphs about one piece of fiction in the tradition that Davis describes. Note especially if you read any such text in high school.] Elaine Kim, “Preface [to Charlie Chan is Dead 2 anthology]” (2003); Peter Baco, “Rico” (2003) Jack London, “The Unparalleled Invasion” (1910) John Okada, No-No Boy, Ch. 1 (1957) Response Paper #1 due; Mary Dudziak, Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy, introduction (2000) NO CLASS – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Sui Sin Far, “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese”; “Her Chinese Husband”; “Pat and Pan” (1910) Edwin Reischauer, “Memorandum on Policy Toward Japan” (1942); Hisaye Yamamoto, “Wilshire Bus” (1950); Lonnie Kaneko, “The Shoyu Kid” (1976) Jie-Hyun Lim, “Towards A Transnational History Of Victimhood Nationalism” (2012)
*1/25 *1/26 1/27 1/28 Week 5 2/1 2/2 *2/3 2/4 Week 6 2/8 *2/9 *2/10 *2/11 Week 7 2/15 *2/16 *2/17 *2/18 Week 8 *2/22 2/23 *2/24 *2/25 Week 9 *2/29 *3/1 *3/2 3/3 Week 10 3/7 3/8 3/9 3/10 Finals Week
Don Lee, Yellow: “Domo Arigato” (2001); “The Lone Night Cantina” (1987) Aimee Phan, “We Should Never Meet”; “Visitors” (2004) Response Paper #2 due; in-class film: Heaven & Earth, dir. Oliver Stone (based on novel by Le Ly Hayslip) (1/3)(1993) Heaven & Earth (2/3) Heaven & Earth (3/3) [Canvas post for 2% participation due before class: 400-word reflection on Heaven & Earth]; Claims workshop for Major Paper #1 [attendance is 1% participation] W.E.B. Du Bois, Dark Princess (1928) (Part I: pp.1-25) NO CLASS – Work on Major Paper #1 Peer review for Major Paper #1 [attendance is 1% participation] Dark Princess (Part II: pp.29-57); Major Paper #1 due @ midnight Dark Princess (pp.57-78) Dark Princess (Part III: pp.79-100) NO CLASS – Presidents Day Dark Princess (pp.100-129) Dark Princess (pp.100-154) Dark Princess (Part IV: pp. 155-184) Dark Princess (pp.184-224) Response Paper #3 due; skim thru Alys Weinbaum, “Interracial Romance and Black Internationalism” (2007) (pp. 108-116) for in-class debate Richard Wright, The Color Curtain (1955) (Forward & Part I: pp. 433-455) The Color Curtain (pp. 455-488) Response Paper #4 due [prompt provided 2/24]; The Color Curtain (pp. 488-528) The Color Curtain (Parts II & III: pp. 529-568) The Color Curtain (Parts IV & V: pp. 569-609) Response Paper #5 due; Claims workshop for Major Paper #2 [attendance is 1% participation] NO CLASS – Work on Major Paper #2 Peer review for Major Paper #2 [attendance is 1% participation] End of class discussion; Major Paper #2 due @ midnight NO CLASS Final paper due Thu, 3/17 @ midnight
Bibliography The following are our course texts in MLA format. You are encouraged to use outside sources to enhance your Major Papers #1 and 2. MLA guidelines: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ Texts assigned Baco, Peter. “Rico.” Ed. Jessica Hagedorn. Charlie Chan Is Dead 2: At Home in the World: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction. New York: Penguin, 2004. 18-27. Davis, Arthur P. "Integration and Race Literature." 1956. Ed. Angelyn Mitchell. Within the Circle: An Anthology of African American Literary Criticism from the Harlem Renaissance to the Present. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1994. 156-61. Du Bois, W.E.B. Dark princess: A romance. 1928. New York: Oxford UP, 2014. Print. Dudziak, Mary. Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy (introduction). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton UP, 2002. Far, Sui Sin (Edith Eaton). “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” and “Her Chinese Husband.” 1910. Ed. Amy Ling and Annette White. Mrs. Spring Fragrance and Other Writings. Urbana: U of Illinois, 1995. 94-110. ---. “Pat and Pan.” 1910. Ed. Amy Ling and Annette White. Mrs. Spring Fragrance and Other Writings. Urbana: U of Illinois, 1995. 211-217. Heaven & Earth. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Hiep Thi Le, Tommy Lee Jones. Warner Bros., 1993. Kaneko, Lonnie. “The Shoyu Kid.” 1976. Ed. Paul Chan, Frank Chin, Lawson Inada, and Shawn Wong. The Big Aiiieeeee! : An Anthology of Chinese American and Japanese American Literature. New York: Meridan, 1991. 304-313. Kim, Elaine. Preface. Ed. Jessica Hagedorn. Charlie Chan Is Dead 2: At Home in the World: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction. New York: Penguin, 2004. Xii-xix. Lee, Don. “Domo Arigato.” Yellow: Stories. New York: Norton, 2001. 175-195. ---. “The Lone Night Cantina.” Yellow: Stories. New York: Norton, 2001. 101-121. Lim, Jie-Hyun. "Towards a Transnational History of Victimhood Nationalism: On the Trans-Pacific Space." The Trans-Pacific Imagination Rethinking Boundary, Culture and Society (2012): 45-60. London, Jack. “The Unparalleled Invasion.” 1910. Ed. Earle Labor, Robert Leitz, and Milo Shepard. Short Stories of Jack London. New York /Toronto: Macmillan, 1990. 270-281. Okada, John. “No-No Boy [chapter 1].” 1957. Ed. Paul Chan, Frank Chin, Lawson Inada, and Shawn Wong. The Big Aiiieeeee! : An Anthology of Chinese American and Japanese American Literature. New York: Meridan, 1991. 478-505. Phan, Aimee. “We Should Never Meet.” We Should Never Meet: Stories. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2004. 25-54. ---. “Visitors.” We Should Never Meet: Stories. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2004. 87-112. Reischauer, Edwin. “Memorandum on Policy Toward Japan.” 1942. Ed. Naoki Sakai and Hyon Joo Yoo. The Transpacific Imagination Rethinking Boundary, Culture and Society. Singapore: World Scientific, 2012. 317-321. Smith, Andrea. “Heteropatriarchy and Three Pillars of White Supremacy.” Ed: Incite! Women of Color Against Violence. Color of Violence: The Incite! Anthology. Cambridge, Mass.: South End, 2006. 66-73. Weinbaum, Alys. “Interracial Romance and Black Internationalism.” Ed. S. Gillman and Alys Weinbaum. Next to the Color Line: Gender, Sexuality, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Minneapolis; London: U of Minnesota, 2007. 96123. West, Cornel. “Malcolm X and Black Rage.” Race Matters. Boston: Beacon, 1993. Wright, Richard. Black Power: Three Books from Exile: Black Power, the Color Curtain, and White Man, Listen! [1954-57] New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2008. Yamamoto Hisaye. “Wilshire Bus.” 1950. Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers UP, 2001. 34-38.
Zedong, Mao. “Statement Supporting the American Negroes In Their Just Struggle Against Racial Discrimination by U.S. Imperialism, Aug 8, 1963” and “Statement by Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression, Apr 16, 1968.” Ed. Fred Ho, Bill Mullen and Lisa Yun. Afro Asia: Revolutionary Political and Cultural Connections between African Americans and Asian Americans. Durham: Duke UP, 2008. 91-96. Recommended texts Baldwin, James. “Everybody’s Favorite Protest Novel.” Notes of a Native Son. Boston: Beacon Press, 1983. 13-23. Espiritu, Yên Lê. “Toward a Critical Refugee Study: The Vietnamese Refugee Subject in US Scholarship.” Journal of Vietnamese Studies 1.1-2 (2006): 410-33. Ling, Jinqi. “Race, Power, and Cultural Politics in John Okada's No-No Boy.” American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography 67.2 (1995): 359-81. Lipsitz, George. “’Frantic to Join...the Japanese Army’: Black Soldiers and Civilians Confront the Asia-Pacific War.” Ed. Takashi Fujitani, Geoffrey White, Lisa Yoneyama. Perilous Memories: The Asia-Pacific War(s). Durham, NC: Duke UP, 2001. 347-77. Kim, Jodi. Ends of empire: Asian American critique and the Cold War. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Lye, Colleen. America’s Asia: Racial form and American literature, 1893-1945. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2005. Melamed, Jodi. Represent & Destroy. University of Minnesota, 2011. Mullen, Bill. “Du Bois, Dark Princess, and the Afro-Asian International,” positions 11, no.1 (2003): 217–40. Okihiro, Gary. Margins and mainstreams: Asians in American history and culture. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. Onishi Yuichiro. Transpacific Antriracism: Afro-Asian Solidarity in 20th-Century Black America, Japan, and Okinawa. New York: NYU, 2013.
